My Quarterly Wrap Up

Well, who knew I would have so much to share that it would end up becoming an article.. but here we are! Will this become a regular thing? Well.. you never know!

Its been a very busy quarter for me both professionally and personally but all for good reason! My ADHD brain was struggling on where and how to start so I decided I’ll go chronologically and share a few highlights with all of you across all fronts, and I’ll try my best to be short & sharp (as my ADHD brain resists the urge to overshare!) So.. ready.. get .. set… READ!

January

→My wife and I packed our bags and moved to Awabakal Country as city living was getting over-stimulating for our neurodivergent brains. The amazing flexible & hybrid working support we have in place at Transport made the transition very easy, along with an equally understanding and supportive leadership.

→ Started planning for a final round of consultation for our next iteration of the Disability Action Plan.

February

→Quietly turned 38, and got myself a kayak, given the very close proximity to the lake. One of the best decisions I've made to help me focus on my mental health!

→We initiated the final round of consultation for our Disability Action Plan, supported by information sessions where people from all across Transport could find out about the document’s purpose and why it was important for us to hear their feedback. We received some incredibly useful insights and ideas from our colleagues right across the state on how we can make things better for our colleagues with disabilities, be it visible or hidden, and carers.

→Participated in the Workplace Adjustment Passport workshop organised by the amazing team of Mick Bourke and Kath Tidd ??? . I also had the privilege of learning so much about inclusive design and practices from Siobhan Brahe across the two days of workshop!

→Marched alongside a diverse group of colleagues at the Sydney Mardi Gras, which has to be one of the highlights of my career. I’m grateful I got the opportunity to showcase how inclusion is embedded so strongly in Transport’s culture.

→Celebrated our first wedding anniversary!

March

→Travelled to our Parkes office and ran a Disability focussed listening session to understand the needs of our colleagues in regional areas when it comes to accessibility and inclusion.

→Assisted in the statewide International Women’s Day event and helped set up the panel discussion livestreamed from Parkes. I heard some inspirational stories from the women in frontline roles, defying gender stereotypes everyday and I truly understood why its important to #countherin. It was a great learning experience for me and I cant thank Melanie Stewart, Jeremy Bowell and Daniel Snell enough for the opportunity.

→Observed Neurodiversity Celebration Week at Transport as we shared various resources on ‘How various Microsoft tools can assist with neurodiversity at work’, ‘Sensory Diet’ and ‘Change and the Neurodivergent brain’. Thanks to Jasmin Price , Natalie K. Maguire , Janine W. , Jennifer Turner and Linda Runnels for all their hard work!

→Facilitated strategy planning sessions for our Disability Employee Network “Enabled”, Multicultural Network and Reconciliation Employee Network to build solid foundations for them to achieve realistic goals in 2024.

→Supported the amazing Greg Cawthorn to organise an inclusive photoshoot to update our digital assets to include more images of our colleagues with lived experience of visible and hidden disabilities. We gathered ideas from our disability employee network members and put them into practice to capture some great images that showcase inclusion & accessibility without being tokenistic.

→At every possible opportunity, I went to the lake with the kayak to connect with Country and its water to help me reset my brain for the next set of challenges! Also attended some great concerts and stand up shows to keep the grey cells active!

And today being World Autism Awareness Day, we have kicked off our activities for the month here at Transport. Recognising this year’s theme of ‘Empowering Autistic Voices’, we will be organising live Panel & AMA (ask me anything) events where our colleagues with lived experiences will share their stories. This has been made possible by some great support from Caitlin Stevens and Ashley Harrigan and the Comms team who are always ready to help the Neurodiverse Network!

If you have made it this far in the post, thank you so much for your patience & ongoing support. None of this would have been possible without support from my leadership team and their constant focus on my development and my mental wellbeing. I would like to thank Tracey L Taylor , Kathy Baker and Gina (De George) Bass for their ongoing support and encouragement for this ‘indian immigrant with hidden disabilities’. Thanks to Jason Whitty ?? for being such an inspiring leader, mentor and the ‘voice of reason’ that helps me get perspective on things I encounter daily. I wouldn’t have been able to progress this far without the patience and assistance I get from my teammates Jamie Zouroudis , Elena Agnese and now Jessica McCrea .

Looking forward to building an inclusive future with everyone’s support !!